Hanoi to Lao Cai (Sapa) Transfer

Booking Train Tickets

We used A21 for booking the King Sapa Train from Hanoi to LaoCai. The service was excellent with very good communication. I recommend A21 and would use then again any time. Thank you.

Very clean and comfortable overnight train.

The response to the booking was quick and helpful. Once the online payment is made, the tickets with QR are issued. Very impressed with the firm bed and clean linen (no smell). Highly recommended

Probably the most comfortable way from Hanoi to Sa Pa.

We booked the VIP version, two bed cabin of King Express train. It was reasonably clean. We did not see any bugs or vermin. Toilettes were ok. We did get some sleep. The train was very punctual both times. The train took 7.5 hours from Hanoi to La Coi. The employees in the train sell you staff that is actually free. I paid for the tee anyway because these people are very poor and it is very little they charge.
When you arrive at La Coi station, there are lots of Minibuses that take you to Sa Pa for small money. This takes about one hour. The drivers already wait in front of the train. It is safe to go with them, no scam.

Nice experience.

We book Private Deluxe on from Hanoi to Lao Cai and VIP from Lao Cai to Hanoi. The experience was nice. The beds were comfortable and the room was clean. We could store our luggage below the bed. Water bottles provided. We were okay with the rumbling of the train while it is making its way on the track - we slept soundly. The toilet was near and clean.
However, on our way back the tea lady asked us to pay 50,000 dong for what is supposed to be a free coffee or tea included in our VIP package. We didn't pay and she relented and gave us our coffee and tea for free. She didn't provide us with towels.

Best way to get to Sapa from Hanoi

Booked the cabin with 4 beds. Journey was about 8 hours. Experience was pretty good, and slept quite well. The beds were reasonably clean and comfortable. Free mineral water, snacks, toothpaste and toothbrush were provided. But would suggest to try not to use the toilets if possible.
Overall good experience, train timing was punctual. Overnight train a good way to get from Hanoi to Sapa.

Just ok.

We travelled in a 4 berth cabin on the King Express From Hanoi to Sapa. The rooms are very small so take as little luggage as possible. We left three bags in our hotel at Hanoi and just took what we needed in one bag on the train to save space. Mattresses are pretty hard and not very wide but we managed to get some sleep. Husband suffered motion sickness - it can get pretty rocky. Trip back to Sapa was better as we knew what to expect. A very basic journey but good if you would prefer to travel overnight.

Reliable & Good transport provider :)

A21 was very responsive to my queries & was able to communicate with me via WhatsApp promptly throughout my stay in Hanoi. We booked 4x Chapa Express train tickets (2 way) to Sapa & Private car (2 way) to Halong Bay. It was a breeze using A21 & strongly recommend using their services. Their prices are also comparable to other local rates.

An experience! We did two trips with this company, overnight to and from Sapa to Hanoi. Both times we booked the VIP 2 berth sleeper cabin. This is a more costly option (US$170) but provides privacy and a bit more comfort. The cabin was nicely set up and lovely and quiet. Complimentary water, refreshing wipes and cookies as well as a drink on departure. As expected the train is noisy and there is a lot of motion but we slept surprisingly well. Staff were friendly and helpful. Added benefits of booking directly with the company (one way we did one way we didn't). - shuttle to hotel - complimentary ear plugs - much more attentive service. over all a practical, safe and manageable way to travel.

Comfortable and safe ride. On arrival from Ninh Binh via train, we took the Chapa express to Sapa and was pleasantly surprised that it was clean, comfortable ride. Please note that to take the night train to Sapa, you’d have to walk about 10 minutes to the gate from Hanoi station. Gate is actually situated behind the main station, try google to find directions. Coming back to the cabin, the ride was a little noisy and shaky but we had a good night rest. Toilets were surprisingly clean and without smell of ammonia as some claimed. And compared to the Victoria express, which we took on our return leg to Hanoi, Chapa’s cabin was way more comfortable, bunks were a little wider and longer. To those that are undecided, I’d say choose Chapa express. You won’t regret saving that extra dollar that Victoria charges.

Shambles. The train itself was lovely, cosey and clean. But the organisation for the two women at Chapa Express was an utter shambles!!! First of all the one woman purposely waited till 9pm before she would give anyone a ticket,by which point there was a huge 'crowd'. There was no queing system in place and the two women would just wonder off mid way through speaking to you and ask another person to follow them. I witnessed one man be given four tickets, randomly, another man moan so the women took the tickets off the first guy and gave them to the second one instead. The tickets had not been pre allocated to people it seemed. And it didn't matter what your booking reference was. At 9.45 myself and another guy were finally listened to. By that point, each of us still wanting our two tickets, they said there was only two remaining tickets? The lady frantically flapped around and found two tickets with another company so no one was left behind. It just leaves a sour taste on a journey that turned out ok in the end. All of this could have been avoided if the woman was not such a jobs worth initially and if she had actually done her job in the first place and allocated each booking their tickets to just be handed over on the day.

8 hours - Overnight Train to Sapa. We booked directly online. Everything went smoothly. We were upgraded from superior to deluxe cabin that sleeps 4 people. So we had to share with another couple, which was fine because we all slept the whole way. There was free water or beer, bananas, chips, and free WiFi. The beds were very clean and even the bathroom were not that bad. It is an excellent way to go to Sapa and you save one nights hotel bill while traveling. If you get motion sickness be warned this train goes up and down and sways side to side, all at the same time, it is quite bumpy and noisy. Not to mention it makes a lot of stops along the way. Earplugs and Dramamine might help.

Fun and comfortable trip to Sapa! Not sure why there are so many mixed reviews on these overnight trains to Sapa, but my family had a wonderful time on Chapa Express. We were with two other families, for a total of 13 people. Each family was traveling with small children and we all had our own cabin with 4 beds in each cabin. The cabins were clean, the beds adequate, service was good, and the overall ride was not as bumpy as others have said. Would I do it again? Absolutely! It's a great way to get from Hanoi to Sapa without having to take a bus. The only benefit of taking a bus is you can go directly to your hotel in Sapa versus having to take a van from the train station. The trip from the station to our hotel took approximately 45 min. Other than that, I would highly recommend Chapa Express!

Fun trip What a great way to travel. Our taxi dropped us at the wrong train station, but Chapa were great and got us to the train. We had a 4 berth deluxe that I booked online. We got water, soft drink, chips, nuts, toothbrush, comb, face wipe and ear plugs. The top bunks had better air conditioning but it was very comfortable, there was wifi and we took portable fans that you charge which was perfect for the bottom bunks. Loved the rocking of the train, easy to fall asleep. The private Chapa lounge on the station at the end was very disappointing. I enquired before I left about a shower and breakfast and they said yes all free, when we got there nothing was opened so we ended up going straight to our hotel and paying extra to get an early check in which worked out better. Highly recommend travelling with this company. The train has many carriages all owned by different companies, we were very happy with Chapa.

We travelled from Hanoi to Lao Cai and back on Sapaly Express Train. We boarded a large train comprised of a number of carriages owned by different companies, Sapaly Express being one of these. First impressions were good with clean bedding, a duvet, complementary crackers, water and toothbrush. The beds were hard but that seems to be the case in many of the hotels in which we've stayed. I think regardless of the company you travel with you are in for a slightly bumpy, noisy ride and a very average nights sleep. (It is also worth knowing if you have a speaker in your cabin this can be turned off!). We had some trouble locating the collection desk for our tickets in Hanoi station and no one appeared at the Sapaly Express desk in Loa Cai to collect our return tickets.

Hanoi-Sapa trip
Very good organized trip and very comfortable bus,I enjoyed my drive from Hanoi to Sapa, thank you so much. Definitely recommend it

Efficient and professional
A21 organised 4 cars for us on our trip to Vietnam. Very efficient and professional. I would thouroughly recommend these guys for advanced booking of transport around Hanoi and HCM.

Nous avons obtenu une grande aide grâce à la réactivité et l’accessibilité de cette agence via WhatsApp. Des transferts adéquates à nos demandes et à des prix courants. Merci!

Reliable, moderate proced, accurate, clean service. We had like 8 trips booked with A21. All of them were booked and negotiated via Whatsapp where their response was inmediate, straight to the point, fairly priced. And they delivered a very reliable service accordingly. Some of the trops were long and the drivers were prepared, kind and proactive on planning stops for rests/toilets etc. We used door-to-door service and everytine they showed up 5-10 minues before departure with a comfortable, clean vehicle which was exactly in line we agreed. I also checked prices against other service providers and they were more than fair, so I am not even thinking of getting around with any other transfer service provider. Keep up the good service

Best Travel Service ever!

A21 Tour provided the best travel service we have ever had abroad; easy, reactive and secure solution that allowed us to have a flexible trip. Found them when tried to book a car from Hanoi to Sapa, then ended up using A21 service 2 weeks across Vietnam. We booking our transfers (approx. every 2 days) always the day before; A21 guys always found an excellent solution in less than 10 minutes. Awesome is the way they work using WhatsApp chats to communicate, pay (with CC/PayPal) and eventually solve problems/misunderstandings with not english speaking drivers.
Thank you very much!
Andrea & Ginevra

All was perfect and always on time. I booked 6 transfers around Nord Vietnam. Service supe and always on time, they exceeded my expectations every time. Thank you again!!!

Hassle free trip from Hanoi to Sapa -VIP bus

Me and my siblings were planning to go from Hanoi to Sapa. Till we realized we haven't book our sleeper bus. We searched and came across A21 tours and tried to see if we can still be accommodated provided that the booking was done less than 24 hours. We booked online, and pro actively we have also sent a message in Whatsapp to ensure that once payment is done, we can get the e-ticket confirmation. To our surprise, just around 4-5 hours, they have reached out to us to guide us on the payment process and the issuance of the e-ticket as well. Their swift response was a relief w/our anxiety given the limited time for us. Also, it didn't stopped from just issuing the vip bus e-ticket confirmation but A21 tours consistently checked us from departure to arrival and any other concerns in between. They made sure that the tourists will only get enjoyment, safety and hassle free experience.
Highly recommended.

Good. 개인공간도 있고 독서등도 있고 usb 충전도 가능하고 에어컨도 빵빵하고 다 좋은데 ㅋㅋ...ㅋㅋ 말이 안 통해요. 하노이에서 사파까지 예약 할 땐 6시간이라고 했는데 8시간이 걸렸고 마지막 휴게소에서는 한시간이나 서 있었는데 왜 서 있는지 말을 안해주더라구요. 그런것만 말 해줬으면 더 좋았을 것 같아요.

Absolute aanrader. Comfortabele slaapcabines met veel privacy. Stoel kunnen volledig plat. Gedurende reis heerlijk series op iPad gekeken. Andere bussen hebben wel mooie stoelen maar hebben niet deze privacy. Je kunt zelfs makkelijk bij elkaar gaan liggen

Convenient and easy. The distribution of reviews on here doesn't look good - so in fairness I thought I'd update with my review because our experience was quite positive. We took the Fansipan express from Sapa back to Hanoi on 29/9/19 leaving at 13:30, checkin was smooth(ish) - its a scruffy office on a chaotic street where you wait but this is Sapa in Vietnam after all - so expoected. Bus is confortable enough, Im 1.73m and had plenty of legroom, the berth is private with a curtain. Its a big bus. The road leaving Sapa is tight and twisty for th first hour down to the highway at Lao Cai, so this isnt airplane or train smoothness - however it was fine in the day. Once on the highway the driver drove at a steady 100km/hr (checked with GPS) there didnt seem to be any taumatic moments - the general standard of driving in VIetnam is pretty poor and our driver seemed to cope well - even when you come across 2 trucks stopped on the highway blocking both lanes with one reversing!!! By the time we got into Hanoi the drivers favourite control seemed to be the horn as I think we were running 15min late. We took this bus not because we expected a really smooth comfortable sleep and not because its cheap - its just that it IS comfortable and it leaves at a very convenient time allowing a hotel checkout at midday and then a 13:30 departure. Itys a 5.5hr drive to Hanoi - even if you take the train you have to get a bus or taxi down to Lao Cai for the first hour anyway - if you've got luggage or cases this is easier than dragging onto a train as well - as there was loads of storage space as in all long distance coaches. Coach made 2 stops on way back - strange open sided supermarkets selling some strange stuff alongside touirist 'tat', beware you need 3k dong to pay for the toilets! Make sure you;ve got some small notes. To be honest there isn't much alternative for getting to and from Sapa, trains are slow and go overnight only to Lao Cai, a private taxi would be expensive - and seeing the driving standards in Vietnam I'd rather be on a big bus! Also Im sure some of the more negative views on here are for the wrong bus - this coach as in the main picture is orange and black - its called a VIP cabin bus, some of the pictures of the interior are for a different bus. We would use again because of the convenience.

INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. I have travelled with sleeping bus many times but Fansipan Express cabin sleeping bus is completely different from all sleeping buses i used to use. With other sleeping bus , there are 3 rows , Fansipan Expres cabin bus has only 2 rows. each cabin is a private cabin and quite large. To be honest, i really scare of foot odor. i think i made a best choice for me. I slept so well.

Luxury sleeper bus. If you are travelling to Sapa, look no further to book this sleeper bus. My children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, had a good sleep during the journey. Each bed is having sufficient privacy and is very comfortable.

Very pleasant journey from SaPa to Hanoi. We travelled on the VIP service from SaPa to Hanoi and despite the largely negative views this was a very pleasant experience. I am 6ft 2 and was comfortable throughout the entire journey. Driving did feel a bit erratic at times and travelling down from SaPa was a little unnerving but that’s par for the course once you decide to bus it instead of getting the train. I wouldn’t hesitate to book again and cannot fault the experience. I have travelled on much worse back home and paid a lot more too. Information was translated into English too regarding stops and arrival in Hanoi which was helpful. Toilet on board was clean, which was impressive considering a lot of people struggle to keep a toilet clean even when they don’t have a moving bus to contend with.

what a trip. ok, so it's not luxurious, but comfortable. weird sharing a room with two French folks that didn't speak English, but they were nice. bathroom serviceable, but not too fancy. ride was bumpy, but mysterious. a genuine experience. cool to walk in the train hall way at night and look out an open window

Much better than the bus. Hanoi to Lao Cia night train . Leave at 9.20 pm , we booked a 2 berth cabin , no sharing with strangers . 2 bunk beds , pillows and blanket . Bed side table with a cold beer and coke , bananas , biscuits and nuts are a nice touch . Hot coffee and tea arrive as we depart . Great views of Hanoi as we slowly leave the city . Sleep well as we rattle and sway through the night . Shortly before we arrive in Lao Cia there is a knock on the door and coffee and breakfast bars delivered . The train was way better than the return trip by road .

Great for booking train tickets. They charge small commission
Great travel company. Used it twice for booking train tickets (through web). Swift communication, good prices. Fantastic experience

The Vicsapa train was very comfortable with tasty treats and water, tea and coffee. Air conditioning and a drinks trolley came down the carriage early in the trip and sold cold drinks, wine and snacks. The bed was made with white crisp sheets and doona. Still as it is an old train it is quite noisy but still fun and a great way to travel to the beautiful Sapa in the mountains.

I have been waiting a long time to do this trip and it was most worthwhile. Some great reviews below describe things better than I can. Online booking was easy I booked two way VIP 2 berth cabin… read the confirmation email well for connecting with the agent at the station second floor. The carriage was classic, vintage feel with wood panelling and delightful decor. Fruit beer and snacks provided. Power in the cabin. Excellent sleep , bedding good and clean. Despite many stops (single track) the journey was enjoyable. Dawn scenery of the Red River was a bonus. Wake up call and a powerful 3 in 1 Vietnamese coffee as a heart starter. Just great!

I'm so glad I read the reviews on Tripadvisor because I would have not otherwise known about Vic Sapa train. From the time booking Mrs Nguyen was impeccable, replying to emails promptly and offering all needed assistance. We chose a VIP cabin for 2 and actually had a very comfortable journey. Sure, the train swings, but you would have that with any company since it's one operator for the entire train. In fact, the swinging motion helped me fall asleep. The carriage is beautiful on the inside, our cabin was impeccably clean and so was the toilet throughout the entire journey, a huge plus. We also had free snacks and drinks in our cabin. Overall, a great experience, I only wish they would cover other train routes, we would surely book with Vic.

Exceptional service from VICSAPA Train. She goes way beyond the extra mile to make sure our whole experience with Vic sapa train is everything you wished for and more!!! I’ve never felt so pampered before in any trip I’ve taken….

Thumbs Up
Efficient, affordable transportation between Hanoi and Sa Pa with great customer service. we booked the shuttle there and the bus back, both very positive experiences